


Glue it All Back Together

by Thursdays_Angel



Series: Picking Up the Pieces [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hatred, Humor, Morgan Stark is a cutie, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-16 16:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20865686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thursdays_Angel/pseuds/Thursdays_Angel
Summary: The war for the universe has been won. Now comes the hard part, rebuilding after the return of everything that was lost. The Stark family visits Asgard and Morgan turns four.





	Glue it All Back Together

**Author's Note:**

> I’m back and it's another long one. The original title for this was _Everything Hereafter_ but that sounded too final that I changed it. I’d also thought about starting a new series for the fics that take place after _Endgame_ but I thought that might be too confusing. 
> 
> I have a few more ideas floating around for this series. Don’t know when or in what order I’ll write them. Though I do have one that seems like it’ll be fun. Has anyone ever watched the BBC mini-series _The Night Manager_ ? If you have, think that but, obviously, with Loki.
> 
> To any Sif fans out there, sorry but she’s a complete Bitch in this fic. She’ll come around eventually but it won’t be for a while and not in this particular story at all. I think she and Hogun are going to take the longest to change their opinion. Also, I think Sif had been lost in the Snap, which would explain why she was nowhere to be found after Ragnarök. 
> 
> Originally I’d had the Avengers and Peter have a larger role in this fic. There ended up being _way_ too much going on so I cut them. They’ll show up in future stories.

**_Glue it All Back Together_**

Tony and Pepper left Morgan with Thor and Loki then headed back towards where Fury waited. The war was over, the final battle won and still Tony felt like he was gearing up for another fight. He was not looking forward at all to this talk with Fury.

“So,” Fury said once they’d met up in the hallway once more, “you have a kid.”

Tony groaned, every muscle in his body aching. It didn’t compare to the pain he’d felt wielding the Stones. Nothing could compare to that pain. It took him a second to register what Fury had said. After everything that had just happened and _that_ was what Fury was going to focus on? “Yep,” Tony replied. “And she’s a spitfire. Loves her uncles so don’t get any ideas about locking Loki up.”

“I don’t understand,” Hill said from her place beside Fury. “I thought Loki was dead.”

Tony sighed, now wishing Thor had accompanied them. He wasn’t going to begrudge the thunderer though. Loki had just had the full power of the Stones flowing through him. Tony shook his head. Loki had been the unknowing vessel for the Stones the whole time. He wondered, briefly, if Thanos had known and that was why the man had done what he had to Loki.

They entered the conference room and met with Steve, Nat, Clint and Bruce. Everyone looked just as worn out as Tony felt. He took a seat, his suit retracting into the reactor on his chest. “So, the short version…” Tony began.

“I’d prefer the long version,” Fury said.

“I bet you would,” Tony quipped, “but we just had a massive battle, I died, came back to life and let me tell you, I’m tired.”

“I still can’t believe I’m alive,” Nat said.

Clint reached over and squeezed her hand. Tony could see the archer was still processing what had happened as well.

“Our involvement with any of this,” Steve began, “started when Loki was sent here for the Tesseract.”

“What do you mean ‘sent here’?” Hill asked.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn’t going to be a quick conversation, he could see that now. Slowly, they began to explain everything they had learned about Thanos, the Stones and the events leading up to now.

“Bruce was explaining where he’d ended up after Ultron and what had finally brought him back when we were attacked again. They called themselves the ‘Children of Thanos’ and claimed that we should celebrate because we were all about to die.”

Fury’s eyebrows shot up but he continued to listen.

“We fought their goons. Strange, the kid and I ended up in space. We went to Thanos’s home planet. Fought him and lost and then everyone turned to dust. Afterwards, Nebula and I… We made our way back in a different ship. Along the way, we came across the remnants of Thor’s people. Thanos had attacked them.” He could still see the bodies floating in space. He wondered if they had all been brought back as well. “I looked to see if Thor was among them and found Loki. There were no life signs but I thought, if Thor was alive he’d want to be able to give Loki a proper burial. We brought his body onboard. His neck was broken and when I straightened his head, I accidently pushed the vertebra back in place. His magic healed him and he’s been here ever since.”

“Why would you even bring him here?” Fury asked. “What made you think he wouldn’t try to conquer Earth again?”

It was Steve who answered, “Because now we have the full story. Thanos sent Loki here after torturing him for a year.”

“Yeah,” Tony said. It still made him sick to think about what Loki had gone though. Out of everyone in the room, only he and Pepper really knew the whole story. It wasn’t something they planned to share. It was up to Loki if he wanted anyone else to know the gory details. “The things Thanos and his ‘children’ did,” Tony shuddered. “By the time they sent Loki here the guy didn’t know which way was up.”

Fury looked skeptical but motioned for them to continue.

Steve, Bruce and Nat started to explain what had happened on Earth during Thanos’s original attack. Tony listened with half an ear. He really didn’t care anymore. All he wanted was to make sure no one got any ideas about locking Loki away. He’d gone to bat for the guy already, he’d do it again if he had to.

“Let’s me see if I understand this,” Fury said once everyone else had stopped talking. “This Thanos character was the one who sent Loki here for the Tesseract in the first place. Loki was tortured into attacking and after a whole set of events you’ve barely touched upon,” his single eye found Tony, “was rescued by you and has been living here, _free, _ever since.”

“If you want to Cliff Notes it, yeah.”

Fury looked to be on the verge of letting out a very colorful string of words. However, before he could say anything further a very familiar boom echoed throughout the conference room, along with a light show Tony had seen multiple times before. That had definitely _not _come from Thor.

Everyone shared looks before rushing outside to investigate. They’d just won a literal war for the fate of the universe. He did not want to do anymore fighting, not for at least a decade.

Outside there was no army waiting to attack them, no threat of destruction that needed to be thwarted. All that had come from the Bifröst, and Tony knew that was exactly what it had been, were two people; a man and a woman.

The two were older, dressed simply enough. The man had thinning white hair and beard and... an eye patch? The woman wore her blonde hair in pleats and her dark blue dress accentuated her fair skin. The way the two walked was familiar to Tony.

“Uh, hi,” Steve said. “Can we help you?”

Tony realized he’d seen the woman before and Infinity’s words to Thor replayed in his mind. _We have left one last gift for you and our vessel in Asgard._ “Holy shit!”

“Oh my god,” Pepper said, having realized the same thing Tony had.

“What?” Bruce asked. “What is it?”

“Do you know them?” Steve asked.

“We’ve never met but yeah, I know _exactly _who they are.” He stepped forward. He had a good idea what they had come for. “Hi, I’m Tony and this,” he gestured to his wife, “is Pepper. The others... well, we can do the rest of the introductions later. I’ve heard a ton about you two.”

“Please forgive my husband,” Pepper said, stepping closer as well. “He gets easily excited.”

“It’s no bother,” the woman replied. “My sons can be the same way.”

“We’ve seen it.”

Behind them, the others seemed to have realized just whom their two guests were as surprised exclamations rang out. Tony couldn’t keep the grin off his face if he tried. He motioned for the two to follow him. “They’re inside.” He was starting to shake with giddiness. “They’re going to freak.”

Tony came to the room he wanted, knocked on the door and didn’t wait for an answer before opening it. “Guys, you gotta—”

“Shhh! Daddy be quiet, they sleeping.” Morgan gave him the stink eye before putting her head back on Loki’s stomach. With the way she lay between the brothers, her feet dangled over Thor’s side.

“They’ll want to wake up for this sweetie,” Pepper said.

“No,” said the man, “let them sleep. They look as if they need it.”

The woman entered the room, leaning over each of the brothers and checking them over the way any loving mother would. Morgan watched her. “I know you,” she said.

“You do?” The woman asked.

Morgan nodded. “You’re Ki and T’or’s mommy.” Her expression scrunched up in thought. “Figga?”

Frigga smiled, “Yes, I am.”

“But Ki said you had to go away forever and ever.”

“Well, I thought so too but I was allowed to come back.” She pointed to the man. “You see him? He is their father, Odin.”

Morgan sat up so she could see where Frigga was pointing. A look of wonder crossed her face and she twisted until she faced Loki. “Ki,” she said trying for a whisper but too loud for it to be one, “your daddy’s a pirate.”

Loki didn’t answer, still sleeping too deeply. Morgan shrugged, laying back down beside him. She sat back up again, “Mommy, can I get Ban’ Aids for their boo-boos?”

“Of course sweetie,” Pepper said, going to the bathroom and rummaging around. When she came back she held a box of Band Aid’s. She gave them to Morgan who began to stick the Band-Aid’s on each of the brothers. Tony kind of wanted to take a picture but he also wanted to stay alive.

“Morgan,” Tony said. “Mommy and I have to go talk to Fury some more.”

“Who?” Morgan asked as she put a Band-Aid on Loki’s cheek.

“The man from earlier with one eye.”

Morgan stopped and pointed to Odin. “He’s only gotz one eye.”

“The other man with one eye.”

“The mean looking pirate with the lady?”

“Yeah,” Tony chuckled. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not that he could totally picture Fury as a pirate. “We’ll bring pizza back.”

“Okay. I’ll stay and fix Ki and T’or’s boo-boos.”

“We’ll be back soon.” He turned to Odin and Frigga. “Are you going to stay here?”

“It would probably be best if we were not alone in the room when they awaken,” Frigga said.

“They may not react very well,” Odin added.

Tony winced, remembering that three of them had technically been dead not too long ago. Yeah, that might not go over well. “You’re welcome to come with us if you want. I’m sure you’d like to hear all the shenanigans we’ve gotten up to the last few years.”

“That would be lovely,” Frigga said.

They left the room, both to kill time and get food. Tony was hungry. He couldn’t wait for the boys to wake up though. After everything they had all been through, it was finally time for something good to happen for them for a change.

* * *

The next few days were far more hectic than Loki would have liked. They’d returned to New Asgard and immediately met with the Council. It was an obvious shock to see the former King and Queen once more among the living. It had been an even greater one to reveal that Asgard and all her people had been restored as well.

Loki looked out across the village, his stomach in knots. He knew they would return to Asgard and he should have been happy about that but the truth of the matter was, he dreaded it. Public opinion of him had _not_ been very high. Norns only knew what a full Council would want of him. He suspected someone would demand he return to his lifelong imprisonment.

Tony had suggested having a family celebration once things had settled down a bit, even inviting their parents. That was one thing he was actually looking forward to. It had only been a week since they’d returned to New Asgard and Loki wanted nothing more than to return to the comfort of his family.

“What are you doing out here?”

Loki turned, his eyes meeting his mother’s questioning gaze. It was still very surreal to have their parents back from the dead. Part of Loki feared it was not real. He knew it was a fear Thor shared as well.

“Contemplating my life choices,” he replied with a slight twist of his lips.

“Oh,” Frigga asked, stepping beside him. “In what way?”

Loki leaned against the railing, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m not sure if I should go back to Asgard,” he admitted. “The people here have accepted me but those who died,” he shook his head, “they would still see me as a monster.”

“Loki,” Frigga stepped closer and put a hand on his crossed arms. “We, the people who were lost with Asgard… We do know what you have done. Some may still have a hard time accepting the truth, that you _are _a good person, but they are so few as to not matter.”

“How could you possibly have…” Loki trailed off as the answer came to him. “Heimdall.”

Frigga smiled and for a moment, Loki wanted to get lost in it. He had missed his mother _fiercely._ “Yes, Heimdall. He could see through the veil to the realm of the living. He kept us appraised of what was happening. You and your brother have both made your father and me proud.”

“Even after everything I have done?”

“Loki—”

“I know, I know,” Loki said ruefully. “It’s hard sometimes and I think, how can I ever be anything more than the destruction I’ve caused?”

“You have done so much more good.”

“I have and I think in some ways I have atoned for the destruction.”

“You have,” Frigga assured. “You helped to restore those lost to the Titan. You have restored Asgard and her people.”

“That wasn’t actually me.”

Frigga sighed and the look she gave him was one of fond frustration. “Fine, it was Infinity, but without you Infinity could not have done what it did.”

He couldn’t really argue that point. It still amazed him, to know that he had been the vessel for the Infinity Stones. He hadn’t remembered any of it, though since then little things would come to mind from time to time. The dream he’d had of Thanos’s soul bursting apart had been rather pleasant.

“We have so much we need to do.” He massaged his temples. “The logistics of this… It’s going to take us a long time to recover.”

“You do not need to do everything at once dearheart.”

“I know,” Loki said, looking back out over the yard. “I’ve had a hard time quieting my mind. All I can think of is the things we have to do. We need to return to Asgard and meet with the Council and Nobles.” Something he was _not _looking forward too. “Since father is alive he will need to formally abdicate the throne to Thor if he truly doesn’t want it. Unfortunately, both of them are technically king. Then we’ll need to find out from the people here what they want to do and what about New Asgard? Do we abandon this place? Do we keep it?” He rubbed his temples again. “This is a mess.”

“Might I offer some advice?”

“Please do.”

“Relax.” She gently pulled his hands down. “You put too much on your shoulders, Loki. Both Asgard and New Asgard will not collapse if certain decisions are not made right away.”

Loki sighed. “I don’t want Thor to be overwhelmed. The five counselors who originally survived have been quite annoying. I’m afraid they’ll be even more overbearing now that Asgard is back. Did you know they told Thor a couple of years ago that he had to get married and have a child? That went over _spectacularly._” He felt his lips pull up in a small smile. “They were quite put out when Thor named me next in line.” He frowned. “What if they try again?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Frigga said. “You are both still young and there is plenty of time before either of you need to worry about such things.” She pointed at him, “I do expect grandchildren at some point.”

Loki rolled his eyes, mainly to hide his fear of ever fathering children. If he’d been Æsir he may not fear it so. Being what he was, made it much harder.

His cell began to ring. Heading back inside he went to answer it. He furrowed his brow when he saw it was a video call from Tony. He glanced at the clock, it was only about five thirty in the morning in New York. What could Tony be calling him for?

He answered the phone and saw that it wasn’t Tony on the other end, but Morgan. “What are you doing up?” He asked with a smile.

_“Hi Ki,” _Morgan said, waving at him.

“Hello sweetheart. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

_“I am in bed,” _she spun the phone around for him to see her room before returning it to face her, _“see.”_

“I see but isn’t it still very early there?”

Morgan shrugged. _“Mommy and daddy are still sleeping. I looked for cartoons but they was all boring so I gotz daddy’s phone and called you.”_

Loki sat at the table and propped his phone up so he could lean against the tabletop. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

_“I’m not sleepy.”_

There was definitely a nap in her future. “All right. Well what are you planning on doing today?”

Morgan shrugged again. _“I don’ know. Mommy said my school’s not open yet. Are you and T’or gonna come to daddy’s party?”_

“We wouldn’t miss it.”

_“Kay. Will you teach me to swim?”_

“Of course I will.” He gave her one of his conspiratorial smiles. “We’ll find a way to dunk Thor.”

Morgan giggled. _“What about your mommy and daddy? Are they gonna come too?”_

“I think so,” it had been briefly discussed and so far it appeared as if they would go.

_“When are you coming here?”_

“Well, Thor and I have to return to Asgard first for a little while then we’ll be back for the party.”

Morgan tilted her head in confusion. _“Isn’t that where you are already?”_

“We’re currently in _New_ Asgard.”

_“What’s the difference?”_

“The one we’re going to is the Asgard that Thor and I came from originally.”

_“Oh. Can I come too?”_

“Not this time. It would be very boring for you right now. _I_ don’t even want to go.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’ll be very boring for me too. Lots of stuffy adults.”

Morgan giggled. Her eyes tracked something and she waved again. _“Hi Miss Figga.”_

Loki turned his head and saw his mother standing behind him. Frigga smiled at Morgan. “Hello darling. How are you?”

_“I’m okay. Mommy and daddy are still sleeping and I’m bored so I called Ki._”

“You love Loki very much, don’t you?”

Morgan nodded, smiling wide. _“Uh huh. Ki’s the bestest! He tells me stories an’ he’ll use his magic to make them real. My favorite was when T’or gotz um… When T’or gotz his hammer lost and had to wear a dress.”_

Frigga laughed softly. “Thor loves that story.”

_“Nah, he hates it,”_ Morgan corrected. _“That’s why it’s funny.”_

Frigga leaned over Loki’s shoulder. “Would you like to hear a secret?”

Morgan nodded, _“Yeah.”_

Frigga put her hand beside her mouth as if imparting something she wanted only them to know. “I still have the dress he wore.”

Loki snickered as Morgan’s eyes went wide. _“Really?”_ the little girl asked.

“Yes,” Frigga nodded. “I’ve caught him putting it on a couple of times.”

“Mother, please,” Loki said, trying not to smile, “don’t tell her that. She’ll expect Thor to wear it.”

_“I wanna see.”_ Morgan said.

“Perhaps when you come visit Asgard,” Frigga said. “We’ll hold him down if we have to.”

_“Okay,” _Morgan agreed. _“Where is T’or?”_

“He and our father had to meet with some of the boring adults.”

_“Your daddy? Oh,” _she covered her right eye, _“Pirate Santa.”_

Loki laughed. “Yes, Pirate Santa.” He turned his head to look at his mother. “We have to get father to dress up as Santa for Christmas.”

“Santa?” Frigga asked.

“He’s a... he goes around the world every Christmas to deliver toys to good children.”

_“Yeah,”_ Morgan said, _“and if you’re a bad kid you don’t get toys. You get a rock.”_

“Coal,” Loki corrected. “Naughty children get coal, but you’re not naughty. Though if you somehow ended up on Santa’s naught list I’d just sweet talk him with my silver tongue. Right?”

Morgan nodded. _“Right.”_

Loki heard movement through the phone then another voice said, _“Morgan, who are you talking to?”_

_ “Hi mommy,”_ Morgan said, _“I’m talking to Ki and his mommy.”_

_ “Oh?”_ Pepper’s face appeared as she leaned down to see. She rubbed sleep from her eyes. _“Hello Loki.”_

“Good morning Pepper.”

Pepper hummed. She turned to her daughter. _“Don’t talk too long. I’m sure Loki has things to do.”_

_“No he doesn’t,” _Morgan said.

Unfortunately he did. “Your mommy’s right,” Loki said. “We’re going to be heading to Asgard once Thor and our father come back.”

Morgan frowned. _“Can we talk later then?”_

Loki grimaced. “We won’t be able to until we come back sweetie. Our phones won’t work in Asgard.”

Her frown deepened. _“I don’t want you to go then.”_

“We won’t be gone long,” he assured her. “We have to come back for your daddy’s party, remember?”

_“Yeah, it’ll be fun.”_ The image from the phone blurred as Morgan shifted. _“I gotz to go potty.”_

“Well,” Loki said, trying not to laugh. “Why don’t you go potty, _not _while we’re on the phone. I’ll call you once we return from Asgard.”

Morgan frowned slightly, seemingly not thrilled at the fact she wouldn’t be able to call Loki whenever she wanted. _“Okay,” _she said solemnly. She waved at them again. _“Bye Miss Figga.”_

“Goodbye child,” his mother replied.

_“Wuv you Ki.”_

“I love you too Morgan.” He waved back at her. “Go potty.”

Morgan rolled her eyes. _“Fine. Bye.”_

“Bye,” he shook his head as he ended the call. He felt his stomach flip once more at the thought of returning to Asgard. Frigga ran her fingers through his hair and he forced a smile for her. “I’m fine.”

She didn’t look convinced. Frigga pressed a kiss to his head. “You will not be returning to Asgard alone dearheart.”

A wave of emotion washed over Loki. He had to take a moment to collect himself so he wouldn’t burst into tears. It was something he’d had a hard time doing in those first few days. The strength of his emotions in regards to his parent’s, especially his mother’s, return to life was at times overwhelming. Thor hadn’t fared much better in that respect either.

“I know,” he replied when he was sure his voice would not shake. His brow furrowed as he turned his gaze to his hands, picking at his nails. “The last time I was in Asgard and not thought of as a traitor or criminal, was right before Thor’s banishment. I’ve been _persona non grata _ever since.”

Frigga took a seat in the chair beside his. “It will take time I’m sure, before things begin to feel anywhere near normal again.”

Loki wasn’t sure what “normal” would entail for them anymore. He did know there was no way either he or Thor could return to Asgard and pretend as if nothing had changed when _everything _had. Neither of them were the person they were a decade ago.

Thor and Odin returned a short time later and they all prepared for their return. They met the five members of the Council at the village square. While they would not prevent any of the Asgardians from returning to Asgard, it was decided that for the moment the rest would remain. They could not simply abandon New Asgard.

In a subtle passive-aggressive message to the Council members, neither Loki nor Thor were wearing their royal leathers. They had elected to remain in their Midgardian clothing, Thor going so far as to wear crocs. Loki didn’t understand the appeal of that particular type of footwear.

Once more Loki felt his insides twist at what they were about to do. They were swept up in the Bifröst and the next Loki knew, his feet were treading across the Observatory. He had to stop and resist the urge to pinch himself.

Heimdall stood upon the raised dias, his hands resting upon Höfund’s hilt. He was not wearing his golden armor. The Gatekeeper smiled at them, “Welcome home.”

* * *

They had made their way to the palace. The Councilors had wanted to begin meetings right away. Thor felt the beginnings of a panic attack at the thought. Luckily for him, his parents interceded on their behalf.

“Our sons have only just returned from Midgard,” Odin said. “Asgard and most of her people have been gone for half a decade. Give them some time to process our homes return.”

The Council reluctantly agreed. As they proceeded further into the city, they were met by joyful citizens. Thor felt stunned; it had been so long since he had been surrounded by so many people. It was becoming hard to breathe. How was he ever going to manage ruling a _realm?_ He was barely getting by with running New Asgard and most of that was due to Loki’s help. A whole realm? He was… He was…

He felt a tug on his arm and the world around him dissolved for a brief moment. When his vision cleared, he found himself in the palace garden. He gasped for breath and turned to find his brother standing beside him, a look of concern on his face. “Deep breaths Thor.”

They moved to a nearby bench and sat. It took a moment but Thor was able to bring his breathing under control. “Thank you,” he said once he was able. “I don’t know what happened.”

“You were overwhelmed,” Loki said. His gaze traveled around the garden. “So was I, to be honest.”

“I still can’t believe we’re here.”

“Neither can I. Part of me feels like this is just a dream.” Loki turned back to him. “Any idea what you want to do with the council?”

Thor groaned. If he could have his way, he’d have _nothing_ to do with them. “We just stopped me from having a panic attack,” he chided, “you really want to start another?”

Loki shook his head. There was a slight hint of uncertainty in his voice when he next asked, “What will you do when they demand I be locked away again?”

“I won’t let that happen,” Thor growled.

Loki sighed. “It will come up, you know that. I’m not saying you have to agree with it, we both know I prefer you don’t, but it will not be an easy battle.”

Thor rubbed at his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “The Council is going to be insufferable, aren’t they?”

“Yup. Especially since it’s the full council of twelve and not just the five idiots we’ve been dealing with.”

Thor glanced at his brother from the side, “You wanna be king?”

Loki made a face. “To borrow a Midgardian phrase, hell to the no.”

“Ugh, to think that for centuries all I wanted was to be king.”

“Neither of us truly knew what that entailed.” Loki turned, flashing Thor a conspiratorial grin. “Wanna run away and join the Christians?”

Thor chuckled, “Is that another _Supernatural _reference?”

“Kinda,” Loki admitted. “Though in the show it’s the Archangel Gabriel who ran away and joined the Pagan’s.”

Thor shook his head. He was thankful for Loki’s jesting, it helped to relieve his anxiety. “Why not? We can leave father to rule.”

“Technically he still does since there was never really a formal transition of power.”

Thor hadn’t thought about it like that. While there had been a rather unceremonious ceremony to make him king onboard the _Statesman_ everything had gone to Hel shortly thereafter. He knew his father planned to abdicate the throne to him simply to make it official.

“I’m not sure I can do this.”

“Yes you can.”

“Not alone.”

“Who said you would be alone?” Loki asked.

“I…” Thor sighed. “I can’t rule Asgard the way it had been before. Things have to change.”

“I agree,” Loki said. “We live such long lives and truthfully, Asgard had become stagnant. You and I have changed. The Asgardian’s who survived to live in New Asgard have changed as well. It won’t happen overnight but if we work hard enough we can change Asgard too.”

“You ruled Asgard while you were pretending to be father. How... bad was it?”

Loki was silent for a moment. “It was... tedious. I was not always lounging around watching plays the whole time.” He shook his head. “Everyone wants a piece of the king. They expect the king to have all of the answers and to solve all of their problems. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Your idea to run away is sounding better and better.”

They sat in silence for a while, each taking in the scenery around them. The palace gardens were quite beautiful and Thor could hear the water in a nearby fountain splashing. After a while, Thor said, “It will be nice to see our friends again.”

“Friends?” Loki asked.

“Yes,” Thor smiled, “Sif, Volstagg…” His smile began to fade as Loki’s expression closed off. “What?”

“Nothing,” Loki said with a shake of his head, “just, they were your friends Thor, not mine.”

Confused, Thor said, “I don’t understand. We were always adventuring together.”

“Yes, but that did not make us friends. They hated me Thor. As a matter of fact, Sif hated whenever your gave me even the slightest attention. She loved you, you know.”

“I loved her too, she was a good friend.”

“I think we are talking about two different forms of love.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was _in love_ with you, you idiot.”

Thor felt his eyebrows shoot up. “Oh… I hadn’t realized.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“But why would you say they hated you?”

Loki sighed. “They did act differently when you were around as opposed to when you weren’t.” He shook his head again. “Never mind, it’s not important.”

“Yes, it is,” Thor said, shifting so he was facing his brother more fully. “Loki, please tell me.”

Loki sighed, wringing his hands together. “Whenever anything went wrong on an adventure, it was my fault. If I used my seiðr to get us out of a bad situation or win a fight, the victory wasn’t due to anything _I_ had done because I hadn’t ‘fought’.”

“But your skills are second to none. I know no one more deadly with seiðr and daggers than you. Even Mother doesn’t match your skill.” Thor recalled teasing his brother on occasion but he hadn’t thought he’d ever really criticized Loki’s ability, at least not in a way that was taken seriously. “I’m sorry I ever teased you about your skills.”

“Thor—”

“I mean it Loki. I was an idiot and I never should have talked down about your abilities. I should never have made fun of your seiðr.”

“Thor, stop. I really don’t want to get into it. They are your friends; all I ask is that you don’t force me to be their friend as well.”

Thor bit his lip, nodding. A new thought occurred to him, one he hoped wasn’t true. He’d never seen his brother with any other companions. “Loki,” he began tentatively, “did you have any friends?”

Loki remained silent for a moment and Thor felt his stomach drop. “I had you,” Loki said softly. “I had mother.”

“I mean beyond family.”

“I know you did and, no, not really. I had acquaintances but no one whose company I sought out.” He turned, giving Thor a smile that wasn’t entirely false. “I do have friends now though. Genuine friends who I would hate to lose. Don’t beat yourself up over the past brother; it doesn’t do either of us any good.”

“I hate to think of you being alone while we were growing up.”

“Thor, did it ever occur to you that I’m an introvert?”

Thor frowned. It truly hadn’t, mainly because he and Loki were always together while they were growing up. He’d loved having his brother around, most of the time. There had been the occasional sibling spats where they’d wanted nothing to do with each other but those were so few and far between. It had been such a shock to him when Loki’s hatred and pain had come to the forefront so many years ago.

“I’ll I’m saying,” Loki continued, “is don’t be surprised by their attitudes towards me.” Loki stood. “I think I’m going to prepare our plan of attack for our meeting with the council and also see if any of my clothes were left where my rooms were.”

“Your rooms are still there. At least, they should be, mother and father never closed them off.”

“Oh, really?”

“You didn’t know?”

“I never bothered to check, even after I began to impersonate father. I think I was afraid of seeing my rooms cleaned out. It would have only been proof of my disownment.”

“Mother kept your rooms ready for you because she had always believed you would return and use them again someday.” The first part of Loki’s statement registered to Thor. “What did you mean by needing a plan of attack?”

“The council will be insufferable. I have no way of knowing how the meeting is going to go. Norns only know what they’ll suggest for New Asgard, though I have been thinking about it.”

“What did you have in mind?”

Loki waved him off. “I’ll tell you later, once I’ve hashed everything out.”

“Can’t you give me anything?”

Loki shrugged. “Why would we need to abandon New Asgard? I think it could be an… embassy of sorts between Asgard and Midgard.”

Thor nodded. He liked the idea. He also hadn’t wanted to give up the home he and Loki had made there.

Loki’s gaze roved around Thor. “You will need to change into something a little more regal. So will I, unfortunately.”

“What’s wrong with this?” Thor asked, looking down at himself.

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, heaving a semi-amused sigh. “You’re wearing sweatpants and crocs. Not exactly up to par with the dress code for a Council meeting.”

“I’m King,” Thor said, crossing his arms, “new dress code.”

“As thrilling as it would be to see their faces to have you begin an official Council meeting looking like a hobo, I would _not_ help you in any way avoid father’s wrath.”

Thor grimaced at the thought. “Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes, “I’ll be ‘regal’.” He held up a finger, “But I do so under extreme prejudice.”

Loki laughed, “Noted. I’ll meet up with you later.”

Loki left the garden, leaving Thor alone in the peace of the garden. Thor took a breath, savoring the sweet scent of the flowers in the garden. While they had tried to recreate the palace garden back in New Asgard, it did not compare to the original.

Thor stood and decided to wander for a bit. He didn’t have any destination in mind, simply taking in the sights, sounds and smells around him. His emotions swirled and, in a confusing turn, he felt both at home and not. Midgard had been _home_ for the past five years, nearly six. Thor knew there was no way he could return to Asgard and have everything back to as it used to be. He was not the same person who had ordered the destruction of the Realm Eternal in order to defeat Hela. He doubted he would ever be.

It took him a moment to realize someone was calling his name. He stopped and turned to see Sif and the Warriors Three making their way towards him. The air of joy and excitement around them was infectious.

“Thor!” Sif called happily.

“My friends,” Thor said with a smile. He was caught up within their hugs, Volstagg threatening to break a rib from how tightly he held Thor. “It is good to see you.”

“What happened to your eye?” Fandral asked.

“What? Oh, Hela ripped it out. I have a new one now.” He received confused and concerned looks from them. “It isn’t like it happened yesterday. I’m used to it by now.”

“Why are you dressed like that?” asked Hogun.

Thor looked down at himself. He rolled his eyes. “Casual Friday.” He received four blank stares at his words. He shook his head. “Never mind. How have you been?”

“Learning how to live again,” Fandral said. “One minute we were in Valhalla and the next, we were here.”

“You were killed by Hela,” Thor said. “If I’d known about her I would have warned you all.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” Sif said. “If I hadn’t been sent away I could have helped.”

“It’s probably better that you hadn’t been here,” Thor said. “Hela decimated Asgard’s forces. None of us were prepared for her. As it was, we were lucky to defeat her at all.”

“Is that why Asgard was destroyed?” Volstagg asked.

Thor nodded. “Her power came from Asgard itself. Destroying the Realm was the only way to stop her. We were lucky to have as many survivors as we did. If it hadn’t been for Loki—”

“Loki?” Sif asked in surprise. “What did Loki have to do with any of that? He’s dead.”

Thor shook his head. “He survived Startvlheim, thank the Norns.”

“He tricked you?”

“No,” Thor said. “He was injured saving my life. The poison in him,” Thor’s brow furrowed, “we both thought he was dying. I felt his heart stop. I’m so glad his seiðr was strong enough to heal him.”

“If he survived,” Sif said, “where was he hiding?”

“Before Hela’s attack? Here, actually.”

“That’s impossible,” Sif growled. “His ego wouldn’t allow him to stay hidden. We would have noticed.”

“Well apparently no one did. He was posing as our father and no one suspected a thing.”

Sif’s expression shifted to one of such rage that Thor was stunned for a moment. “_He_ was the one to send me away. That snake! I should have been here!”

“You should be thankful that Loki sent you away,” Volstagg said, earning a look of shock from Sif and the others. “If you had been here during Hela’s attack, you would not have survived.”

“You don’t know that,” argued Sif, “and even if I did die it would been in battle instead of…” She shook her head, anger radiating from her form. “He stole _everything _from us.”

“He saved your life, albeit unknowingly,” Fandral said.

“You defend him?” Sif demanded.

Fandral held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Hela cut down Volstagg and me as if we were _nothing. _There was no honor in how we died. We never had the chance to even _begin _to strike against her.”

“Hela was powerful,” Hogun conceded. “She cut down the entirety of Asgard’s military might single handedly. She cared not for any she killed.”

Sif did not seem to care. Thor stared at her, feeling his heart sink. “You really do hate my brother, don’t you?”

Sif shifted, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. “I don’t know what he has done, what lies he has told you but we will find him and bring him to justice.”

“You didn’t answer my question. As for bringing Loki to ‘justice’. What justice? He’s already suffered enough and I will not let him suffer further for actions that were not his own.”

“You believe him?” Sif huffed. “Of course you do. He’s plotting something, you _know _he is. He’s taken your throne more than once. He has always been jealous of you. His lust for power is why we lost Asgard. He killed Odin and brought about Ragnarök. How can you defend him?”

“He’s my brother and _I_ ordered him to set Surtur free to destroy Asgard. _I did. _He nearly died at the hands of Thanos. He gave up the Tesseract to save my life and the lives of the remnants of our people. Loki isn’t _plotting _anything.” He took a breath, biting at his lower lip. “I used to believe we were all friends but Loki was right, you were never his friends, only mine.”

“He has no honor, Thor. He’s never had any honor. He does not fight as a warrior should. He hides in the shadows and weaves lies as easily as breathing. We have only ever tolerated his presence for your sake. He was nothing but a burden on our quests.”

Thor looked at the rest of his friends, though he was beginning to reconsider that term. “You all feel this way?”

For a moment, the three men would not meet his eyes. Eventually Volstagg straightened, “no.”

“What?” Sif asked in surprise. “How can you say that? You know what Loki is.”

“I know _who _he is.” Volstagg said calmly. “I know who he was when he was young. _Your_ jealousy, Sif, has always left you blind.”

Sif’s eyebrows rose, “My jealousy? Of the snake? Don’t be absurd.”

“Stop calling my brother a snake,” Thor growled.

“He can technically turn into one,” Fandral said.

The blonde hunched his shoulders at Thor’s scathing glare. “You are not helping,” Thor said.

“Where is Loki?” Hogun asked.

“In the palace,” Thor said, gesturing with his head.

“He’s here?” Sif said in shock. “He’s been locked up?”

Frustration began to overwhelm Thor. “No, he’s not locked up and he’s not going to _be_ locked up.” He had to do something because it looked as if Sif was about to storm the palace looking for his brother. “If this is how you are going to act, then we are going to have to reevaluate our friendship.”

Hurt flashed across Sif’s face. Fandral and Volstagg looked resigned while Hogan remained his stoic self. “How can you say that?” Sif asked. “You would base our friendship on Loki’s wrongdoings?”

“No, I would base our friendship on how you treat my brother. I’m not saying he hasn’t made mistakes, we all have, but…” Thor sighed, “if I have to choose between my friends and my family, I will _always_ choose my family.”

“Mistakes?” Sif asked incredulously. “You call Loki’s crimes ‘mistakes’?”

This was not something Thor wanted to deal with right now. They did not know the full story. They knew nothing of the violence Loki had endured and all he had done to survive. They only saw the results of Loki’s torture, not the underlying cause of those results.

“It was Loki who allowed the Jötun into Asgard to disrupt your coronation,” Hogun said.

Thor ran a hand down his face. “I know and I know why he did it.”

“Because he coveted what was rightfully yours,” Sif said.

“Would you stop?” Thor yelled. “Norns, you’re like a broken record.”

“A broken what?” Fandral asked Volstagg. The larger man shrugged, just as confused as the blonde.

“It’s the truth,” argued Sif.

“No, it’s _your _truth. It’s what _you_ want to be true, not what is true. I know why Loki did what he did back then. No one was listening to him and he was desperate to get _someone’s_ attention. He was right; at that time, I was not ready to be King. I’m still not if I’m being honest but we’ve been working together for the sake of New Asgard.”

“Your reign back then would have been glorious.”

“It would have been a disaster. The Norns only know how quickly I would have brought ruin to Asgard and the Nine. I was a hotheaded selfish asshole back then. I’ve changed since then and so has Loki. I’m not even the same person I was five years ago.” He stepped around them, backing slowly towards the palace. “While I’m glad you are all alive and safe I… I can’t have this kind of negativity around. If you can’t find it within yourselves to put your hatred for my brother aside and actually get to know Loki, then we can’t be friends.”

Thor walked away, not having it within him to continue the argument. He could already hear his brother calling him an idiot for setting up such an ultimatum with his friends but that was the way it was going to be. He wasn’t going to shut them out completely but their friendship was not going to be what it once was either. Not right away at least. They would have to build up to it again but he was willing to work for it, so long as they were willing too.

* * *

Morgan was a little ball of excitement at Tony’s side. This was the most energetic and happy he’d seen his daughter in in _weeks. _The last few weeks hadn’t been very good ones either. After their little family celebration, the brothers had been forced to return to Asgard to work out the kinks of having the realm back. The lack of communication had not gone over well within the Stark household.

Tony looked down at his daughter again, sunlight gleaming off the golden horns she wore. Neither he nor Pepper had fought the three-year-old on wearing the outfit Loki had made her for Halloween on their first trip to Asgard proper.

A few members of SHIELD and the UN had been invited to Asgard to begin negotiations with Earth for permanent contact with Asgard. Tony was going in part as a member of the Avengers and a strange intermediary between SHIELD, the UN and Asgard.

The real reason he, Pepper and Morgan were going was more private. It was a chance for them to simply visit family. That was what Tony was looking forward to the most.

Morgan tugged on his hand, “Are we going now daddy?”

“Soon sweetheart,” Tony replied, squeezing her hand. “We have to wait for everyone else to get here first.”

Morgan frowned. “They need to hurries up. I wanna see T’or and Ki.”

“So do I.” Tony hadn’t realized just how close their families had become until he couldn’t simply call the brothers on a whim. Their things had already been sent to Asgard but Tony slung Morgan’s pink backpack up on his shoulder. He had a three-year-old, there were some things he needed to keep on hand.

Pepper was originally supposed to arrive later since there were things at the company she needed to take care of but she’d managed to move things around so she didn’t have to. Tony was glad about that. He wanted their first trip to Asgard to be as a family. It was a shame Peter hadn’t been able to come along but Tony understood school came first. He’d just wished the schools had taken another week or so to open back up. _Next time,_ he told himself. Tony let his gaze wander to the others milling about the center of New Asgard.

Fury was on the phone and Hill stood nearby, seemingly also taking care of some last minute SHIELD items. The Avengers had been invited too but they had declined for the moment. They would officially visit Asgard at a later date, once things had begun to settle on both worlds.

Tony turned at the sound of vehicles. The motorcade of UN officials had _finally_ arrived. He wasn’t thrilled at all that Ross had been on the roster. Tony was glad it wasn’t going to be a whole gaggle of officials, he did _not_ want to deal with any of them. He was still pissed at Ross for the stunt he pulled back when Loki had been petitioning for the land that has become New Asgard.

He turned to his daughter, “Mogan, why don’t you take your helmet off until we get there.”

She frowned up at him, one hand coming up to grip the band. “I wanna wear my hornays.”

“And you can,” he knelt down before her, “but to get to Asgard, we have to ride a beam of light. You don’t want your helmet to come off while we’re going to do you?”

“No,” Morgan replied. She took the helmet off and handed it to him. “Don’ lose my hornays.”

“I’m not going to lose them,” he replied. “I’ll put them in your backpack.” He did so, just barely managing to get it zipped back up again. He hadn’t realized just how big that helmet was.

It was a short time later that they were all assembled by one of the Einherjar. Everyone gathered close together and Tony picked Morgan up. While he’d traveled via Bifröst before, Morgan hadn’t and he didn’t want to risk having her panic. He doubted she would though; she was too excited to see her uncles to care about anything else.

“Ready squirt?”

Morgan nodded, “Uh huh.”

There was a boom and they were engulfed within the light. Morgan held tightly to him and the next thing he knew his feet were touching down on a floor made of gold. A dark skinned man stood on a raised dais in the center of the room, his hands resting upon the hilt of a sword. “Welcome to Asgard.” He stepped away from the weapon. “I am Heimdall, the Gatekeeper.”

Tony couldn’t help himself, he asked, “So who’s the Keymaster?” He received a raised eyebrow and several groans in response.

“Really Stark?” Fury groaned.

“What?” Tony asked, setting Morgan down and handing her back her helmet. “He said he was the ‘Gatekeeper’. How could I resist?”

They were led out of the Observatory and _everyone_ stopped to take in the sight before them. The bridge swirled with every color of the rainbow and there were little flares of light wherever he stepped. The bridge almost seemed to sing as they walked across it.

“T’or!” Morgan yelled. “Mommy, Daddy look, there’s T’or!”

Tony could see the thunderer heading towards them, with a few others behind him. “Hey Point Break!”

Thor rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless, “You have to come up with a different nickname.”

The two parties came together, greetings exchanged then Fury, Hill and the UN officials were ushered into flying longboats heading to the palace. Tony, Pepper and Morgan would head to the palace when Thor did as well. Tony glanced at Thor’s companions. He recognized Volstagg but he didn’t know who Xena, Gengis or the Musketeer were.

“T’or! Hugs!” Morgan said, holding her arms out.

“Well I can’t refuse that order.” Thor said, picking Morgan up. He laughed, “I don’t know why I’m surprised by how you’re dressed.”

Pepper laughed as well. “Her outfit was one battle we weren’t about to fight her on.”

“Let me tell you,” Tony said, “the last few weeks have _not _been pleasant. We have to figure out a way to communicate while you guys are here. We’re not about to do that again.”

The past few weeks had been hard. Only a few days after the brothers had returned to Asgard Morgan had wanted to talk to them. She threw a tantrum when she learned she couldn’t. The more time passed without the ability to do so had seen Morgan becoming sadder and sadder. She’d stopped smiling at one point and the crying, day or night, because she missed her uncles had been heartbreaking. He _refused _to do that to Morgan again.

“Hi Mr. Solstagg,” Morgan said with a wave.

“Hello little one,” Volstagg replied, waving back.

“T’or, youz gotz more friends?”

Tony saw Thor flinch just the tiniest bit. Ah, so things were still awkward with his friends then. Gengis’ expression was blank, expect for the barely perceptible raised eyebrow. The Musketeer’s eyebrows were doing a very good job of meeting his hairline and Xena looked like she was about to have a stroke. “Hey uh, what’s up with Xena Warrior Princess?”

“Why is the child dressed like Loki?” Xena demanded.

Whelp, Tony did not like the tone of the woman’s voice. Judging by the expression on Pepper’s face, she didn’t either. He saw Thor stiffen at her question. Tony needed something else to call her in his head.

“Cause Ki’s the bestest,” Morgan answered with a smile, not seeming to notice the tension. She pointed to her helmet. “Ki even gave me hornays like him.” She frowned, looking around them. “T’or, where’s Ki?”

“He’s going to be a few minutes late,” Thor said. “He wanted to make sure everything was perfect for you.”

Thor made introductions and, yeah, Sif was slowly losing the honor of being called Xena. Tony would definitely need to come up with a new name for her. Bitch was the current front-runner.

They continued along the bridge, which wasn’t nearly as long as it appeared to be. They came to the end of it, rainbow walkway giving way to cobblestone road. Morgan chatted to Thor the whole time about everything he had missed while he’d been gone.

“Should we brace ourselves for high pitched screaming?” Volstagg asked, drawing Tony’s attention.

“Huh, what?” Tony asked. He cast his gaze to where the redhead gestured and nodded. “That might be a good idea.” He stepped up beside Thor. “Oh Morgoona,” he interrupted his daughter and pointed behind her, “look.”

Morgan twisted in Thor’s arms to look at where he pointed and her face lit up with such happiness and excitement it made Tony’s heart ache. _“Ki!”_ Thor set her down and her feet had barely touched the ground before she took off running. _“Ki! Ki! Ki!” _

Morgan continued excitedly calling Loki’s name as she ran to him. Loki held his arms out as he walked towards her, smiling wide. Her laughter rang out as she threw herself at the trickster. She swung between Loki’s legs, the man bent over to keep Morgan from falling backwards. Loki shifted and swung Morgan up into his arms.

Tony smiled, glancing over at Pepper. “You realize we are now childless for the rest of this trip?”

Pepper laughed. “At least she isn’t moping anymore.”

“Childless?” Sif asked; her expression a mixture between shock and horror at what they had just witnessed.

“Yeah,” Tony laughed, pointedly ignoring the look on her face. “She’s seen Loki. Everyone else, chopped liver.”

Loki came over to them. “Hello,” he greeted. “I hope your trip wasn’t too unpleasant.”

“It was an experience,” Pepper said.

“This place is amazing,” Tony added. “So, we taking one of the longboats back?” Tony suddenly itched to look at the tech.

“No,” Thor replied. He gestured behind him. “We’ll ride the horses back. We brought a carriage for you and Pepper. I thought you would like to take the scenic route to the palace.”

Tony spotted the steeds and carriage. “I’m only asking this because I’m supposed to be a responsible father even though I already know the answer.” He poked Morgan’s arm. “Are you gonna ride back with Loki?”

“What?” Morgan asked.

“We are going to the palace.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to ride in the carriage with us or do you want to ride on the horse with Loki?”

“Horsies?” Her gaze swept the area until she spotted the horses. To Loki she asked, “Youz gotz horsies?”

“Wez gotz horsies,” Loki replied.

“I’m gonna stay with Ki.” Morgan grabbed Loki’s face in her hands then leaned in, rubbing her nose against his in an Eskimo kiss. Loki scrunched up his nose and blew a puff of air in Morgan’s face. The little girl giggled, especially when Loki began poking at her sides and pretended to try to bite at her fingers.

“Someone missed her Uncle Loki, didn’t she?” Thor asked. He mock pouted. “I’m beginning to feel left out.”

“I missed you too T’or.” Morgan said in between bringing her fingers close to Loki’s mouth and pulling them away before he could bite them. Loki caught her fingers with a light, “nom, nom, nom,” to which Morgan squealed with laugher.

“I know,” he pinched her thigh, earning a squeak form the three-year-old. “I will steal you at some point.”

Loki made a face, releasing her fingers from between his lips. “Good luck with that.”

“I’m not entirely sure I understand what is happening,” Fandral said.

“It’s simple,” Volstagg replied. “The Prince is her favorite person.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Tell me about it.”

“You’re still sore that Loki was her first word,” Thor said.

“Oh, you want to go there?” Tony asked, eyebrows raised. “You really want to go there? What was it she called you at first?”

Loki hummed, “Yes, brother dear. What was that?”

“Hor!” Morgan yelled. Thor’s friends looked positively horrified.

Thor narrowed his eyes at her and reached to snatch her from Loki’s arms. “Why you little snot.”

“Ah! Ki, save me!”

Loki danced away and Tony watched their antics. Loki gave Morgan a child sized play sword, which she used to defend herself from Thor. She landed a good hit and Thor pretended to be wounded, falling melodramatically to the ground, holding the sword under his arm to simulate being stabbed. Morgan sat on his stomach, hands in the air in victory. “I win!” she declared.

Thor roared, rearing up and grabbing her. He sprung to his feet, “I live!” He threw Morgan over his shoulder, laughing manically as he ran around.

Morgan kicked her legs, one arm reaching out. “Save me Ki!” she yelled between fits of laughter.

“Loki cannot save you,” Thor declared, stopping and striking a pose. “You are mine for ever and ever. I shall take you to my castle where you will be tortured in the worse of ways. The dreaded _Tickle Torture!_”

“No!” Morgan yelled dramatically. “Not Tickle Torture! Ki! Save me!”

“Damn,” Tony muttered.

“What?” Volstagg asked.

Tony waved a hand. “I should have recorded this.”

“Way ahead of you Tony,” Pepper said.

Tony glanced over and saw his wife following the brother’s antics with her phone. “Great because,” he pointed to them, “that’s golden.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Sif said in disbelief.

To Tony, the woman still looked like she was about to have a stroke or at the very least burst a blood vessel. “What doesn’t?”

There was the slight clink of metal shifting as she tightened her grip on her sword. Her scowl deepened, “No one has ever…” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

Pepper set her phone aside and turned to the other woman. “No, tell us what you were going to say.”

Sif remained silent for a moment before finally saying, “No one has ever willingly put Loki before Thor, not without a trick of some kind. Whatever enchantment Loki has cast upon your daughter, we will find a way to break it.”

“Excuse me,” Pepper asked incredulously. “You really think that,” she gestured to the three still fooling around, “is because of some kind of enchantment?”

“Sif, enough,” Volstagg said. “There is no enchantment. I have seen them together before. They love one another greatly. Loki would never allow any harm to come to Morgan.”

“Love?” Sif asked disbelievingly. “Loki is incapable of such a thing except for himself.”

“It doesn’t look that way to me,” Fandral said.

Sif’s eyes bulged. “You defend him now too?”

“I’m _trying_ to understand,” Fandral said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “Loki is not the person we made him out to be. Much of what we thought of him was not due to anything he had done but due to our own jealousy and preconceived notions of seiðrmar. We blamed him for things we never should have all because we wanted Thor’s attention. That was our failing, not his. Yes, there were times Loki would lash out at us but that was usually after _we _had done something to him. I don’t want to lose Thor’s friendship so I will at least make an effort to truly know his brother. I have been trying and if you really care for Thor, you would too.”

Anger and frustration radiated from the dark-haired woman. “You refuse to see what is before your eyes.”

“The same can be said about you,” Pepper said. “Look at them,” they all looked to where Loki was ‘rescuing’ Morgan from Thor, the little girl clinging on Loki’s back as he scampered away. “You think all of that is just for show?”

“Of course it is.”

“This is just a long game then?” Tony asked. “What would be the point? What would he gain from this?”

“A freedom he does not deserve. He has hurt Thor too many times; I will not let him do so again.”

“Did it ever occur to you, that your blatant hatred of Loki hurts Thor?” asked Pepper. “All you will end up doing is pushing Thor away. You think your friendship is rocky now? Just wait until he breaks it off completely.”

A strange look crossed Sif’s face. It appeared that in her hatred, losing Thor’s friendship completely was something she hadn’t thought of.

The group fell silent. Tony shared a look with Pepper who shrugged. He watched Loki make his way back over to them; Morgan perched securely on his hip. “Ki saved me,” Morgan declared. “T’or’s been…” she frowned. “What’s the word?”

“Vanquished,” replied Loki.

Morgan nodded, “Yeah, bankwished.”

“Everything all right?” Loki asked, taking in the tension that had fallen over them.

“Fine,” Tony replied. To Morgan he asked, “Where’s your helmet?”

Morgan’s hands shot to her hair, eyes widening. “My hornays!”

“You mean _these_?” Thor asked, holding up the mini helm as he approached them.

“Yay, thank you T’or.” She took the helm from him and put it on.

“You’re welcome,” Thor replied. “Should we head to the palace now?”

Loki helped Morgan adjust her helm. “Probably, that way we can get everyone settled before the banquet tonight.”

“There’s a banquet?” Tony asked.

Thor groaned, his head drooping. “The nobles _insisted._”

“Right, but I thought it was going to be towards the end of the visit, after the negotiations with the UN.”

“Try every night they’re here.”

“We will be shirking off on one of those nights, though,” Loki said. “We will have something far more important to do than sitting with a bunch of stuffy nobles.”

“As king, Thor will be require to attend,” Hogun said.

“Holy crap, you talk!” Tony gaped. “I thought you were this weird robot or something.” The other man cocked an eyebrow. “All right, you get a new nickname. I was gonna call you Gengis, but now you’re Spock.”

Pepper sighed, “Tony.”

“Unfortunately Hogun is right,” Thor said. “I’ll have to be at most of the gatherings.” He turned to his brother. “You sure you don’t want to be king?”

“Absolutely,” Loki replied. He made a face, “Though as your chancellor, I’ll have to attend as well. It’s a good thing I can be in two places at once.”

“You are not leaving me with one of your simulacrum.”

“Would you even know the difference?”

“I’ll throw things at you.”

“What were you speaking of when you said you had something more important to do?” Volstagg asked.

“Ah, right,” Loki bounced slightly the balls of his feet. “Someone has a birthday coming up, isn’t that right?” Loki tapped a finger against his lips in thought. “Who was it again?”

“Me!” Morgan exclaimed.

“That’s right, and how old will you be?”

Morgan held up her fingers, “Four.”

“What do you want for your birthday?” Pepper asked.

Morgan shrugged. “I don’ know. I gotz Ki now…” Her eyes lit up, “Horsey!”

“Let’s go meet Malachite,” Loki said, heading over to where the horses stood. They stopped by a chestnut colored mare.

“We’re going to have to get her a horse now, aren’t we?” Tony asked.

“Maybe we can distract her with something else,” Pepper suggested. “Or Loki can distract her.”

“Uh…” Thor rubbed the back of his neck. “It might already be too late for that.”

“What do you mean?”

“One of our fillies has recently been broken. I’m pretty sure the she’ll be Morgan’s.”

“You got our daughter a horse?” Tony asked.

“Maybe,” Thor’s attempt to look innocent was quite poor. Quickly he added, “but it was Loki’s idea.”

Pepper didn’t look impressed. “Uh huh.”

“Did you get the license number of the bus he just threw Loki under?” Tony asked his wife. He looked over and watched Loki place Morgan in the saddle then sat behind her. He adjusted the reigns, allowing Morgan to hold part of them. Loki had one hand on the reigns and the other wrapped around Morgan’s front to keep her from falling.

Tony stepped over to them, glad once again to see his daughter so happy. He smiled to himself. He wasn’t sure if it had been done on purpose or not but he’d just realized that, besides the helm, Loki and Morgan were wearing matching outfits. “Did you plan that?” He asked, gesturing to them.

“Plan what?” Loki asked.

“Your outfits. You’re just missing the helm.”

“Daddy’s right,” Morgan gasped. “Ki, hornays!”

Loki sighed, narrowing his eyes as he leaned in towards Morgan. She giggled when he planted a kiss on her cheek. When he pulled away, his helm appeared in a shimmer of green. “Better?”

“Yeah.” She waved at them. “Bye daddy! Bye mommy! I’m gonna go live with Ki now!”

The brothers laughed and Tony turned just in time to catch the shocked expressions on the faces of Thor’s friends. Tony headed for the carriage where Pepper waited. Climbing in, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “This is already turning into an interesting trip.”

“Yes,” Pepper agreed, “it is.”

* * *

Loki clicked his tongue, kicking Malachite into a trot. He’d shown Morgan how to properly hold the reins so he let her. He controlled Malachite with his legs, ready to take the reins back if he needed to. He held the pommel with both hands, keeping Morgan secure against him. He could hear the others following behind.

Morgan looked up at him, her little horns pressing against his arm. “I missed you Ki.”

“I missed you too,” Loki said. “What do you think of Asgard?”

“It’s pretty.”

“It is,” Loki agreed. They had been back for weeks and it still amazed him to have Asgard returned to its rightful place among the Nine. He’d thought their trip through time was the last he would ever see what had once been his home. Although he had mixed feelings about where _home _was.

The carriage pulled up alongside them and Loki could hear the clop, clop of the other horses behind them. He let his gaze roam around the group. Sif looked like she wanted to murder him but that wasn’t anything new. The other three were trying, though Loki didn’t know if was for their sake or Thor’s.

Thor brought his white stallion along their other side. “Are you steering Malachite?”

Morgan wiggled the reins. “Yeah.”

Loki leaned down a little, “Do you want to go faster?” Morgan grinned and nodded. Loki took the reins back from her, securing them in one hand while using the other to keep Morgan from falling from the saddle. He nudged the horse into a canter.

“Faster Ki.”

“Faster?” Loki laughed. “Hold on tight.” Morgan gripped his arm and let out a cry of delight when he kicked Malachite into a gallop.

They sped down the road, Morgan’s grip tight on his arm but when Loki glanced down, he saw her expression was one of wide-eyed excitement. They raced down the pathway leading to the palace, even leaping over a fence leading from one roadway to the next. Morgan whooped with joy. Her smile was wide and her eyes bright when they finally came to a stop within the outer courtyard. She looked up at him, “again!”

“Again?” Loki asked. “Maybe we should let Malachite rest for a bit. That was a rather long run and besides, everyone else should be arriving here soon.”

They were still atop the horse when the others arrived. “We won,” Morgan said to Thor when he entered the courtyard.

“We were racing?” his brother asked.

“Apparently,” Loki replied. “She wants to go again.”

“Maybe later,” Pepper said, exiting the carriage. “Don’t you want to see the palace?” she asked her daughter.

Morgan’s gaze moved to the golden palace. “You live there?”

“We do,” Thor said.

“It’s big.”

“It is, and easy to get lost too.”

“Did you ever get lost?”

Thor shrugged. “When we were really, really little. Loki and I would sneak into the kitchens for treats.”

Loki nodded in agreement. “We ended up in trouble more than once for that.” He dismounted and helped Morgan down. She clung to him and Loki resigned himself to carrying her for a while longer.

“It looks like the others have already arrived.” Thor said, motioning to the large crowd gathered further inside.

Loki turned and spotted the UN delegation along with Fury and Hill.

Once everyone had dismounted, they made their way over to the rest of the group. They led the delegation to the throne room, passing several large gold and marble columns along the way. Loki exchanged a look with his brother at the continued looks of amazement their visitors gave their surroundings.

They entered the throne room where their parents, the nobility and councilors waited. More greetings were exchanged and Loki enjoyed the looks surprise the nobles failed to hide at Morgan’s outfit.

Frigga came over to them, “Hello darling. Aren’t you just _adorable,_” she said to Morgan.

“Hi Miss Figga,” Morgan replied. She waved to Odin. “Hi Pirate Santa.”

“Hello Morgan,” Odin said, his lips turning up in a tiny smile.

Eyebrows shot up and the nobility and councilors who hadn’t met Morgan before looked positively _scandalized._ Loki loved it.

“Pirate Santa?” Fury asked.

“Yeah,” Morgan replied, “cause he’s gotz a beard like Santa an’ he’s only gotz one eye, like a pirate. Pirate Santa. Youz a pirate too, but not Santa.”

“Morgan,” Tony said, “why don’t you walk for a while? Maybe give Loki’s arms a break.”

Morgan scowled at her father. She clung to Loki tighter, their horns clinking together as she pressed her face against his. “No.”

“Your Ki?” Tony asked drily.

“My Ki,” Morgan affirmed.

“Oh, the horror,” Loki drawled, rolling his eyes. “I’m stuck with you now?”

Morgan giggled, “Forever and ever.”

They conversed for a bit, the itinerary for the rest of the day keeping them quite busy. When the guests were finally being shown to their quarters, Loki felt a grin form that he couldn’t stop even if he tried. Thor seemed just as giddy.

“Come on Morgan,” Tony said. “We have to find our room.”

Morgan pouted, tightening her hold on Loki’s hand.

“Didn’t anyone tell you?” Thor asked.

“Tell me what?”

“You’re rooms aren’t with the delegates.” Loki said. “You’re staying in the royal family’s wing.”

Tony and Pepper both looked surprised. “Really?”

“You’re family,” Thor said. “Why would we put you anywhere else?”

Sarcastically, Loki said, “As if we’d stick you with the rest of the plebeians.”

Loki and Thor led them down the hallways to the royal wing of the palace. Each room was the size of a small apartment, with a bedroom, sitting area, fireplaces throughout, and a rather large, extravagant bathroom. The walls appeared to made of stone and the floors covered in varying shades of marble.

“Our rooms all connect to a central common area,” Thor said.

“Our parent’s rooms don’t,” Loki said. “Their suites are at the far end of the hallway. We still need to show you the best part.” Loki led them to an adjoining room.

Inside, a four-poster bed was raised a few steps above the floor, draped in dark greens, blues and accentuated with gold. A few stuffed animals lay atop it and various toys lay about the room. The fireplace was unlit for the moment but once it was, the cozy air of the room would be complete.

“Do you like it?” Loki asked Morgan.

“This is my room?” she asked in awe.

“It is.” He led Morgan into the room who immediately climbed onto the bed. She nearly disappeared from how soft it was, sinking deeply into the mattress. He pulled back a tapestry that depicted one of Asgard’s lush forests to reveal a door. “This leads over to your mommy and daddy’s room.” He pointed to the door along one side of the fireplace, “That leads to your bathroom and the last door,” along the other side of the fireplace, “leads to our common area.”

“Morgan has her own room, in a palace, in the royal wing,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “Stop raising the bar, Merlin!”

“I’m partly to blame,” Thor admitted.

“Of course you are.”

“Where’s your room?” Morgan asked Loki.

“On the other side of the common area,” replied Loki. He held out his hand and Morgan climbed from the bed to take it. He led her across the common area, which held several large golden couches and a fire pit, to his room.

Loki’s suite of rooms were similar in design to Morgan’s. His bed was much larger with a black and green color scheme. His desk was a mess, which was the only unkempt part of his room. Morgan looked around the room in awe. He had a feeling she would be sporting that expression for a while. “I like your room Ki. I think I’ll stay here.”

Loki shook his head, suppressing a smile. “What about your room?”

She turned to him, a serious look on her face. “I’m gonna stay with you.”

Loki moved to sit on the stairs that led to his bed. “Why don’t you want to stay in your new room?”

Morgan sat beside him and pressed her head against his arm. Luckily, their helms had been removed a while ago so the horns couldn’t get in the way. “You an’ T’or was gone for forever.” She looked up at him, her eyes sad. “Ki, when are you and T’or gonna come home?”

Loki sighed, lifting his arm to pull her into a hug. “I don’t know sweetheart. That is difficult to answer.”

“Why?”

“You see, this,” he gestured around them, “is our home too. There are a lot of things we need to do here.”

“I don’t like you being gone.”

“I don’t like it either. I wish we could return whenever we want to but we have a responsibility to the people here was well.”

“But youz a prince an’ T’or’s a king. Can’t you do whatever you want?”

“If only it were that simple,” he chuckled. “We will be busy for a while but it won’t be forever.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He stood, pulling Morgan into his arms. “Want to see something amazing?” He took her back out to the common area and over to the wrap around balcony that looked out over Asgard. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon. Lights from the city below dotted the landscape.

“It’s so pretty,” Morgan said.

“Yes, it is,” Loki agreed. They stayed there, looking out over Asgard until it came time to get ready for the banquet.

* * *

The festivities for the night finally ended and Thor had collapsed gratefully into one of the couches within the common area. Pepper had put Morgan to bed a few hours ago while the rest of them stayed and conversed. Part of him had hoped that Sif and the Warriors would leave and he was more than frustrated in Sif’s inability, read: refusal, to believe anything but the worst of his brother.

There had been other children besides Morgan at the banquet and Loki had regaled them all with his seiðr. He’d forgotten how much Volstagg’s children had enjoyed such displays as well. It appeared that Morgan had begun to make friends with the other children, which he was happy about. Of course, she hadn’t let her favorite uncle out of her sight the whole time.

Thor cast his gaze around those gathered; his parents quietly conversed with Tony and Pepper. Fandral and Volstagg occasionally adding to the conversation. Hogun remained his stoic self, only adding a word or two here and there. Thor _knew _embarrassing stories were being told but he couldn’t find it in himself to care at the moment.

Loki had fallen asleep on one of the couches and their mother had covered him with a light blanket. Even after all these years it sometimes still amazed Thor at just how close he and his brother had become and how less guarded Loki was. He knew he would never trade any of that for the worlds.

Sif took a seat beside him and Thor felt himself stiffen slightly. “I’m in no mood to argue tonight,” he said.

“I have no wish to argue,” Sif said. “I know my words regarding Loki have hurt you and for that, I am sorry. I never wanted such a thing, but Thor,” she shifted in the seat to face him, “I cannot help but remember the pain he caused you. Even when we were younger, his jealousy of you was great. I know there were times where he tried to get you into trouble, only to have it backfire upon himself, which increased his anger towards you. I do not say these things to hurt you, but you must see I speak the truth.”

“It is your truth, Sif. I was blind; I used to believe the six of us were friends. I never realized the blame we would lay at his feet for things that were not his doing. There were times I would take your words as gospel without ever hearing Loki’s side. I’m his elder brother Sif; I’m supposed to protect him.”

“He led himself into trouble.”

“Not always. Occasionally yes, but not every time. There were things that _I _had done, that _we_ had done, which Loki took the blame for.” Thor’s brow furrowed, thinking about the past and not entirely liking what he saw. “I think he took the blame for our actions as a means to gain our approval. Instead we would turn him away, just as angry as the rest.” Thor hated himself for that.

“What about your coronation? Midgard? He tried to conquer Midgard to hurt you because he felt he was slighted here.”

Thor shook his head, “No, he tried to conquer Midgard because he had been tortured and his mind so broken with lies that he believed that desire was his own. It wasn’t. I remember, in the Observatory when the Bifröst was set on Jötunheim, Loki saying he’d never wanted the throne. He’d only ever wanted to be my equal.”

“But that’s impossible. No one will ever be your equal.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Sif. In some things, Loki is my better. He is a better king than anyone has ever given him credit for.” He turned to her, “How quick were you and the others to betray him when I had been banished?”

“He usurped your throne.”

“How?”

Sif blinked, taken aback. “He took Gungnir, called himself king.”

Now it was Thor’s turn to be surprised. “You thought his rule was illegal?”

“Of course it was.”

“Sif, he was _given_ Gungnir by the Council. His coronation was rushed but he was the rightful ruler at the time. There was nothing illegal about it.”

The door leading to Morgan’s room creaked open, preventing further argument. The three-year-old blinked groggily in the dim light of the room, frowning slightly as she clutched her bear to her. She stepped into the room, looking around.

The other group’s conversation stopped at Morgan’s entrance as well. Tony and Pepper shared a look before Pepper said, “He’s over there sweetie,” and pointed to the couch Loki lay on.

Morgan stumbled over to the couch, rubbing her eyes. Thor and Sif watched Morgan make her way over. Loki raised his arm and blanket, allowing Morgan to crawl up beside him. She tucked herself under his chin while Loki adjusted the blanket around them. His brother had never once opened his eyes and after a few moments, their breathing evened out as the two fell back asleep.

“I have never seen this side of Loki,” Sif admitted.

“It’s always been there,” Thor told her. “You simply didn’t want to see it.”

Their conversation turned to safer topics for a while. Thor felt his eyes beginning to droop and could see the others having a hard time staying awake as well. They eventually decided to retire, as there was much to do over the following days.

Thor watched his mother go to the couch where Loki and Morgan lay. She gently shook Loki’s shoulder. “Go to bed dearheart,” Frigga said.

Loki grunted then blinked bleary green eyes open. Thor watched his brother, still half-asleep, slowly climb from the couch and pick Morgan up while somehow managing to keep the blanket from falling to the ground. He shuffled to his room, disappearing through the door and Thor shook his head.

Thor headed to his own room after saying goodnight to everyone. He dropped onto his bed and thought about the conversation he had with Sif. There had seemed to be a shift in her judgment of his brother. He wasn’t sure her opinion of Loki would ever truly change but maybe she would be less hostile. He could only hope.

* * *

The following days were hectic. The brothers had been caught up in constant meetings and Loki wasn’t sure which of them would break first, he or Thor. More than once, he felt like his brother was going to murder someone, between Ross, Chancellor Haldor and various members of the nobility, Thor’s patience was running thin. Loki’s was as well and it would be much easier for him to hide a body.

Once more, they sat within the council chamber, Thor at the head of the table and Loki to his right. The current meeting had been going on for hours with no sign of ending anytime soon. Currently Haldor, Ross and Fury were bickering about something Loki had tuned out a while ago. He glanced at Thor again, then around the table at the rest gathered. Everyone else seemed just as annoyed with the argument as he was.

“I see no reason to keep New Asgard,” Haldor said. “Our people will return here, where they belong.”

“What about the Gladiators?” Fury asked. “It isn’t just the Asgardians who live in New Asgard.”

“Let them keep it,” Haldor replied. “They are no longer Asgard’s concern.”

“Your King brought them to Earth,” Ross growled. “They are your responsibility.”

“Prince Thor is not the ruling monarch.”

“He was at the time,” Loki said. “His coronation happened aboard the _Statesman_.”

“One that was not sanctioned by the Council,” argued Haldor.

“What Council?” Loki asked incredulously. “All but five of you were dead,” he reminded them. “We were adrift, heading to a world we _hoped _would give us sanctuary, and doing what we had to in order to survive. We required structure and Thor taking on the mantle of King not only gave us that, but gave our people reassurance that all was not lost.

“The very foundations of our people had literally blown up in our faces. Shortly afterwards we were attacked by Thanos, our numbers were reduced even further and our people scattered more than they had been before. After the Snap, there were only about a thousand of us left and that is including the Gladiators.”

“You just want to abandon New Asgard?” Tony piped up. “It’s been close to three years since it was established. The Asgardian’s have made lives there.”

“_Asgard_ is our home,” anger laced Haldor’s voice.

“New Asgard became a way for us to rebuild and begin to heal from our losses. It is more than simply a piece of land on Midgard. It is a part of who we are now. It is our _home._”

“They will return to Asgard,” Haldor insisted.

“What if they don’t wish to?” Loki asked. “Unlike the people who perished with Asgard, we were forced to continue our lives on Midgard. It is not so easy to simply pretend none of it ever happened.”

“Our people are grateful for the hospitality Midgard has shown our people,” Askr said. “However now that our Realm has been returned, we have no reason to continue occupying New Asgard.”

“You have been against our alliance with Midgard since the beginning,” Thor said. “What is your suggestion? That we break off all relations with the realm?”

“Asgard has been touted as the Protector of the Nine,” Loki added. “Does that mean we pick and choose when and which realms we protect?”

“Earth has no intention of being ruled by you,” Ross cut in.

“I implied no such thing,” Loki said. “However, for centuries we ignored Midgard due to the mistaken belief mortals were _lesser._ That was a failing on our part. It makes no sense to abandon any potential relations between our peoples. I fought too hard for the land that is now New Asgard to simply abandon it.”

“My King,” Haldor said, turning to Odin who sat at the other end of the table, “I beg you, speak some sense into your sons.”

“I am only here as a formality,” Odin replied evenly. “Prince Loki makes several valid points. His proposals are sound and I see no reason to force those who have made new lives on Midgard to abandon their home. However, it is King Thor whom you conduct your meetings with, not I.”

“Prince Thor has not yet been officially crowned.”

“_King _Thor and _Crown Prince _Loki are ruler and heir-apparent of Asgard. You will remember your place Chancellor.”

Haldor’s lips thinned, as he appeared to force himself to keep from speaking. The man’s shoulders were stiff as he glared down at his hands. He gave a sharp nod, “As you wish, Milord.”

The tense silence was broken after a few moments. “Norway would be glad for the continued presence of the Asgardians,” said Ambassador Juul. “We have already learned much about our shared history. We feel there is still much more we can learn.”

“How goes the reconstruction on Midgard?” asked Thor.

His question was met with silence. Loki knew his brother hadn’t really meant physical reconstruction; the sudden influx of people literally with the snap of a finger had consequences they hadn’t considered. After the Snap, many of Midgard’s governments had reorganized to keep from collapsing. Others _had _collapsed. With the return of so many, there had been a mad dash to reorganize again. Unfortunately doing so wasn’t that simple.

“Slow,” Hill eventually admitted. “Our governments are reconciling the last five years. Right now, our biggest problems are food and housing. We don’t have enough for everyone.”

“World hunger was a problem before the Snap and it’s exponentially worse now.” Fury said.

“We may be able to help with your food shortage, if you would like.” Loki offered.

“You do not have this problem?” another of the delegates asked.

“No. When Asgard was restored, everything was returned to how it was prior to Hela’s release. We have an abundance of crops that can be exported.”

“What would such a _generous _offer cost us?” Ross asked skeptically.

“Nothing. The people of Midgard helped us when we were at our most desperate. It is the least we can do to repay you for your kindness.”

The delegates took a few minutes to quietly discuss Loki’s offer amongst themselves. He let his gaze wander and saw by the expressions some of the Councilors sported they were not happy with his offer. The five who had lived on Midgard did appear to agree with him, which was a small comfort. They had not always seen eye to eye in regards to New Asgard and Midgard but they could at least see the benefits of aiding the realm that had given them sanctuary.

“Earth will be grateful for your assistance,” Ross said, scowling.

Loki felt some gratification at just how hard it must have been for Ross to say those words.

The meeting continued on, more items debated and plans on how to send the provisions around Midgard worked out. By the time they broke for the day it was well past the evening meal.

“That was brutal,” Tony said once they were back within the privacy of the royal wing. “I thought Ross was going to have a stroke when he agreed with your offer.”

“I wish he had,” Loki said.

“If his lips had puckered any further, they would have been sucked into his face,” Thor added.

“Now _that _would have been a sight.”

“I appear to have missed something,” Odin said.

Loki exchanged a look with his brother and Tony. What Ross had done to him was not something he wanted to bring up just then. “We’ll tell you about it another time,” Loki said.

His father didn’t appear satisfied with the answer but did not press further. “It is late; you should take a meal and get some rest.”

Thor rubbed at his eyes. “I can’t take their bickering anymore.” He turned to their father. “How did you do it?”

“With a lot of patience,” replied Odin with a smile, “and imagining different ways of murdering them all.” He sobered, “Remember Thor, it is you who rule Asgard. You have named Loki your Chancellor, which explains Haldor’s attitude. You need to rule Asgard how _you _see fit, not how you think others expect you too.”

Thor let their father’s words sink in. Loki knew his brother was trying his best and once more he was running interference between Thor and the Council. Thor had suffered through a few panic attacks since their return to Asgard but they’d managed to keep it hidden from the Councilors and even their parents. Thor needed reassurance and he hoped their father’s words helped.

They parted ways, each returning to their own quarters. There was a platter waiting for him when he returned. Loki looked at it; contemplating staying up the few minutes longer it would take for him to eat a meal. He decided he wasn’t hungry. Changing into his sleep clothes, Loki barely had the energy to pull back the covers before he lay down and fell asleep.

* * *

Loki wasn’t sure at what point in the night Morgan had crawled into his bed. What he did know was that at the moment, the little girl was pressed up against his back and he was in danger of falling off the bed.

Loki carefully rolled over and scooted Morgan towards the center of the bed. He peeked an eye open and saw that the sun had yet to begin its assent into the sky. It was still _extremely _early which meant he did not have to crawl out of bed just yet.

Loki fell back asleep and when he next awoke, early morning light filtered in from the window and Morgan was drooling against his shoulder. _It’s a good thing you’re cute and I love you,_ he thought.

Loki used his seiðr to remove the drool, because that was gross, and carefully shifted Morgan off his arm, wincing at the pins and needles feeling the action provoked.

Morgan whimpered, her face scrunching up at the action. Her eyes blinked open and she wiggled closer, throwing an arm and leg over his torso. “No go yet Ki,” she mumbled.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Loki replied softly. “My arm had fallen asleep.”

“Oh,” Morgan hummed. “Youz been gone all the time. I don’ like it.”

The Stark family had been in Asgard for a few days and so far, much of the time had been spent in meetings. It wasn’t fair to any of them.

“Well,” Loki said, rolling onto his side, which dislodged Morgan’s appendages. “Today I am all yours.”

Sleepy brown eyes scrutinized him. “Really?”

“Yes. You see, today is a very special day. Do you know what makes today special?”

Morgan blinked slowly and to Loki it appeared she might fall back asleep. She shrugged, “I don’ know.”

“Are you sure? Who turns four today?”

Morgan’s eyes shot open. “It’s my birthday!”

Loki chuckled at how quickly she had gone from nearly falling back asleep to being wide-awake. “It is. Happy birthday sweetie.” He brought about a few witch lights to hover above them and called forth a small rectangular box to his hand. Morgan skootched away to allow Loki to roll onto his stomach. He handed her the box, which she tore open eagerly.

Inside were two small, intricately designed daggers. The hilts were wrapped in a dark leather with small whorls etched along the guard and the pommel consisted of a small emerald. The blades themselves were unsharpened and the tip blunted however, along each blade, delicate patterns had been forged within the metal.

Morgan’s eyes were wide as she carefully inspected the weapons. “These are for me?”

“They are,” Loki said, “however these are not toys and you are not to treat them like toys. They are not sharp so they can’t cut you and I will teach you how to fight with them but if you are not responsible with the blades I will take them away.”

“Thank you Ki.”

“You’re welcome. Now I do have something else for you but that requires us to get up and get dressed.”

Morgan flopped back down on the bed, pulling the blankets over her face.

He took the daggers and replaced them within their box then set it on the floor. He poked at her from atop the blankets, earning giggles from the wriggling child underneath. While he would have loved to lounge around in bed all day, he also wanted to show Morgan another of her gifts. “We need to get up,” he said, tossing his covers back and sitting up.

“But I don’ wanna Ki.”

Loki shrugged, not that she could see it from where she was buried. “I guess you can stay here but then I’m going to keep all your presents. And eat your cake. And your ice cream.”

Morgan tossed the covers away, leaping up to cling to Loki’s back. “I gotz more presents?”

Loki shook his head, purposefully tossing his hair into Morgan’s face. “Uh huh. One of them is outside though.”

“Fine,” Morgan groaned, falling away from him.

“If you don’t want it—”

“No!” Morgan scrambled up, grabbing his arm. “I do, but no leave me.”

“Then you must get dressed and I have just the thing.” Loki stood and moved over to his desk where he pulled a larger box from underneath it. Bringing it back over, he pulled the lid off to reveal a pair of dark boots lying atop a set of dark brown breeches and light blue tunic. “You’ll need these.”

Morgan frowned, giving the clothing a questioning glance. “Clothes?” she asked, pulling the items from the box.

“You’ll want them, trust me. Do you need help getting dressed?”

“I gotz it. Hey! These gotz your hornays on them.” Morgan held up one of the boots, pointing to an impression within the leather.

“They do,” Loki agreed. “Get dressed. I’ll be right back.”

“Ki.”

Loki turned back to her, holding his arms out and indicating the loose pants he had slept in. “I cannot go outside like this. I have to get dressed too.”

She held up the breeches, “There’s no tag.”

“Huh? Oh,” he took them from her and found the front. “There you go.”

While Morgan changed, Loki went into his bathroom to wash and dress as well. He changed into a pair of black breeches and forest green tunic. When he came out Morgan was attempting to put her boots on. She looked up at him. “They’re pullies?” She dropped the boot she was holding in her lap. “Hey, your shirt’s green.”

Loki picked at the fabric, “so?”

Morgan huffed, “It’s green. Mine’s blue.”

He raised an eyebrow and made his way back over to the bed. He took her boots and helped her get them on. “Let me guess, you want yours to be green too?”

The look she gave him clearly said, _you should know this by now._

Loki sighed and rolled his eyes. He let his seiðr swirl around his fingers then touched her shirt, turning it the same forest green as him. “Is that better?” Morgan’s smile told him everything he needed to know. He lightly smacked Morgan’s thigh. “Go brush your teeth.”

“I don’t gotz my brush.”

“It’s in my bathroom, where it was yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that. Have you even spent a whole night in your room since you came here?”

Morgan grinned at him. “This is my room.”

He picked her up from the bed and set her on the floor. “Go.” After she disappeared into the bathroom, Loki sat and put his own calf high black boots on.

When Morgan came out, he took her hand and led her from the room. They made their way through the palace and outside to the stables. They stopped at one stall in particular. Loki picked Morgan up so she could see inside. “It’s a baby horsey,” Morgan said.

“She is,” Loki agreed. He opened the door to the stall and set her down so she could get closer. The filly was chestnut in color with a white mane and a patch of white running down her snout. “She needs a name.”

Morgan reached out to pet along the horse’s neck. “She looks like Link’s horsey.”

Loki realized Morgan was right. “Is that what you want to name her? Epona?”

Morgan nodded, “Yeah, Epona.” She continued to pet the newly named horse. “I think she likes it.”

“It is a fine name.” Loki agreed. He stepped further into the stall to get the saddle and bridle. “A perfect name for your horse.”

“My horsey? She’s mine?”

“As long as you two get along, she is.”

Morgan ran her hand gently down Epona’s snout. “We’re gonna be bestest friends.” She finally saw he items he’d brought over. “What are you doing?”

“Would you like to learn to ride?”

“Yeah!”

“Thought so.” Though it would be a while until she could do it on her own, Loki showed Morgan how to properly saddle a horse. After attaching the bridle and a lead, he led both from the stall and out to the practice grounds. “You’re still a little too short to get on by yourself so we have two options. I can put you in the saddle or you can climb on using those stairs.” He pointed to a short set of stairs by the fence. Morgan held up her arms. Yeah, he should have known as much. He lifted her into the saddle.

For the next hour or so, he explained how to properly ride Epona. Morgan listened intently and asked questions when she didn’t understand something. He led them around mostly to get Morgan used to the feel of the horse under her.

Just as her first lesson was drawing to a close Loki caught sight of someone watching them from the corner of his eye. He tried to ignore the woman, having no wish to put any kind of damper on Morgan’s birthday. “Should we go find some breakfast?” he asked Morgan.

The little girl’s stomach made her decision for her when it growled. “I’m hungry,” she said.

“Me too. Let’s get Epona back in her stall.”

“Ki, why’s that lady always so mean looking?”

Loki sighed, it really wasn’t something he wanted to get into. He’d hoped Morgan wouldn’t notice her. “She doesn’t like me,” he finally said.

“Why not?”

“It’s complicated,” and not something he was even going to begin to explain to the four-year-old.

Morgan glared at Sif, which caused the other woman to raise an eyebrow. He wouldn’t put it past Morgan to confront the older woman. She’d already done so with his parents.

They put Epona back in her stall, removed the saddle and bridle and brushed her out. After giving her some food and water, he and Morgan began to return to the palace.

Unfortunately for him, Sif was still there, watching them. “If you have something to say to me,” Loki said, annoyance coloring his tone, “at least wait until tomorrow.”

When Sif spoke, she didn’t address him, but Morgan. “You should not be with the Liesmith child.” She held out her hand, “Come, let us go find Thor.”

Morgan frowned, “Why?”

“It is not safe for you here.”

“Sif!” Loki exclaimed. “Stop. You hate me, I know that, but don’t you dare drag my niece into your animosity towards me.”

“Your _niece_?” Sif asked. “You don’t have a niece. For what purpose do you think to lay claim to this child?” She moved towards Morgan. “Come child, we will find Thor and the All-Mother and whatever spell this viper has cast upon you shall be lifted.”

Morgan hid behind Loki, peeking out at Sif from behind him. “No way, you’re mean. I don’t like you! Go away!”

“There isn’t…” Loki ran a hand down his face. “Walk away Sif. I don’t have the time or patience for your hatred today.” Also, he did not want to say something he would regret in front of Morgan. His luck, she’d repeat it.

“I’m trying to protect her.”

“From what?”

“From _you. _I don’t know what lies you have spun to make everyone think you’re virtuous but I know the truth and I will not allow you to corrupt this child any further.”

“How, exactly, did you plan to do that? Take her with you? She doesn’t know you Sif.”

“And she knows you?”

“Better than you do. You have been watching us for at least half an hour. I’ve been giving her _riding _lessons, but with you oh no, somehow that is oh so nefarious. Norns forbid you stop being intolerable. I’m not asking you to like me but constantly trying to convince everyone that I am the root of all evil is getting old. Now, if it’s all the same to you I’m going to take her inside for some breakfast.”

“I am only reminding them of the truth. You are a snake, Loki Liesmith. You are a selfish little bastard who cares for nothing but yourself. The only use you have for anyone is for your own gain. You are a creature of _darkness_, you’re a _monster_ and you should have never crawled out of the abyss you were thrown into. You do not belong in the light but within the deepest pit of Hel. I do not know how you plan to use this child but I will not allow you to try bringing Thor into your darkness again. Thor is all that is light and good and you _should have stayed dead!_”

“Don’t you say bad things about Ki!” Morgan shouted. “Ki’s the nicest!” She looked up at him and Loki could see her eyes shining with unshed tears. Turning back to Sif, Morgan said, “You’re a meanie-head an’ you’re making my Ki sad! Don’t make my Ki sad!”

“Let’s go Morgan.” Loki made his way past Sif, Morgan following closely at his side. There was a tug on his hand, a scream from Morgan and the next Loki knew he had Sif on the ground, dagger pressed against her neck. “If you ever, _ever, _try that again,” he growled, “Thor’s friend or not, I will gut you.”

“I heard shouting. What the Hel is going on?”

“T’or!” Morgan yelled, running over to him. “The mean lady tried to take me from Ki.”

“What?” Thor asked in surprise. “What did you do?”

A smug look crossed Sif’s face. “You should answer your king.” 

“I was asking you, Sif.”

Surprise flashed across Sif’s expression. “What?”

“She was sayin’ mean things to Ki,” Morgan said. “Then she pulled my arm. It hurt.”

Loki vanished his dagger and pushed away from Sif. He knelt before Morgan, running his hands across her shoulders and using his seiðr to soothe her ache. “I’m sorry sweetie. Is that better?”

Morgan nodded, “Uh huh. Why are you sorry Ki? You didn’ hurt me.”

He picked her up and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, tucking her head against his neck. Turning around to face Sif, Loki said, “You should answer your king.”

Sif pulled herself from the ground, brushing off the dirt now caked into her armor. “I was only trying to protect the child,” Sif argued.

Loki shook his head. “You deal with her,” he said to his brother, “I’m done.”

“You need to leave Sif,” Thor said.

“What!” she cried.

Thor’s expression was hard when Loki turned back to look at him. “Pack your things and leave. You are no longer welcome in the palace.”

That stopped Loki short. He’d never expected his brother to ban his friend from the palace. He knew things had been tense between the two and while he was no fan of the shield-maiden he’d never wanted Thor to lose his friend.

“T-Thor,” Sif stuttered, “you can’t mean that.”

“I do,” Thor replied. “I heard what you said. The whole damn training ground heard you and until you can put aside your hatred for my brother and stop trying to force others to believe your prejudice I do not want you around. Loki is my brother and _you’ve just laid hands on my niece!_” Lightning shot across Thor’s shoulders, his eyes turning white.

Loki wished he could savor the expression of shock with just a hint of fear on Sif’s face.

“Thor! Wait!”

“You have until the end of the day to remove your things,” Thor replied, turning his back on Sif.

They made their way back to the palace. Tendrils of electricity would occasionally make their way up Thor’s arms.

_“You didn’t have to do that,”_ Loki said, speaking in Asgardian.

_“I did,”_ Thor replied. _“I have given her time to come around but she refuses to listen. You have changed brother, you are not the person who committed those horrible deeds.”_

_ “Sometimes I feel I will never be anything more than that. Every time I think I may have moved on from my crimes, they are brought back to the forefront. Sif is not entirely wrong in her judgement of me.”_

Thor shook his head. _“She is. Yes, you committed grave crimes but you have more than made up for those crimes. You are _more _than them and you have done far more good than bad. If you were truly as evil as she mistakenly believes you are then you never would have lost to the Avengers. You never would have helped defeat Malekith and you would not have returned with a ship to save our people from Ragnarök.”_

_“You shouldn’t have banned her from the palace. She is your friend.”_

_ “I refuse to have that kind of hatred under our roof.”_

“You guys are talking funny,” Morgan said.

“Sorry honey,” Loki said, switching back to English. “How is your shoulder?”

Morgan pulled back and moved her arm around. “It’s okay.”

“Good.”

They entered the royal dining area where their parents and Morgan’s parents were already sitting at the table.

“There’s the birthday girl,” Pepper said. “Happy birthday.”

“Happy birthday, squirt,” Tony said.

“I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day.”

“Nah,” Morgan said, climbing up in a chair. “Ki and I went to ride a horsey. I gotz a horsey. We named her Epona.”

“Are you two alright?” Frigga asked, her brow furrowing in concern. “You look as if something is bothering you.”

“It’s nothing,” Thor replied.

“It was the mean lady,” Morgan said.

“Mean lady?” asked Frigga.

“Yeah, she was giving Ki angry looks. She said mean things to Ki and she tried to take me away. She pulled my arm,” she rubbed at her shoulder, “it hurt. Ki made it better though.”

“Xena wanabe did what?” Tony demanded. Both he and Pepper went to Morgan to check her for injuries, much to the little girl’s protestations.

“I banned Sif from the palace,” said Thor. “Until she can keep her anger and hatred under control, I won’t have her here.”

The room fell silent, everyone having taken their seats to have breakfast. Tony, never being one to let things stay awkward asked, “You do the matching clothes again on purpose?”

“No. Her tunic was blue this morning,” Loki replied. “Also, my pants are black, hers are brown so we don’t _completely_ match.”

“I think it’s adorable,” Frigga said. Odin hummed in agreement.

“Enjoy it while it lasts.” Thor said with a roll of his eyes. “Morgan is probably the closest you’ll have to a grandchild for a while.”

The air around the table became lighter as the morning progressed. By midday, all thoughts of Sif’s actions had been put behind them. Morgan’s excitement for the day and her happiness at having her family around was infectious.

Presents were opened and neither he nor Thor cared for any kind of decorum as they played with their niece. At one point, they came upon the Warriors Three. Loki found he no longer cared what any of them thought of him. Thor on the other hand, seemed cautious with them and while Hogun never let any kind of emotion show, Fandral and Volstagg joined in with their game. None of them brought up Sif’s actions earlier that morning.

After the evening meal, which somehow had macaroni and cheese among other things, a large ornate cake was brought out from the kitchens. Four candles were placed on top and “Happy Birthday” sung. Morgan blew out her candles only to have one relight itself. She blew the candle out again and once more it lit.

Morgan blew out a breath, “Ki.”

Loki gave her his most innocent look. “What?”

“Stop makin’ it light.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” two more candles lit.

_“Loki!”_

Loki startled, whipping around at the angry call of his name to see Thor glaring at him from behind a veil. His jaw dropped as he took in the intricate wedding dress his brother now wore. “I didn’t do it!”

Tony and Pepper laughed. There was the distinct sound of a shutter going off. He glanced over to see Tony taking pictures. “Blackmail,” the billionaire said.

“T’or’s a princess,” Morgan exclaimed.

Loki leapt from his chair, quickly moving further away from his brother as Thor stalked closer. “I swear, that wasn’t me!”

“Who else would it have been?” Thor demanded. “You are the one who constantly brings up the story!”

Stifled laughter drew everyone’s attention. Odin and Frigga sat at the head of the table, Frigga hiding a smile behind her hand. Odin turned to his wife, “He has grown into his dress, hasn’t he Frigga?”

“Oh yes,” Frigga replied. “It fits him much better than last time.”

The brothers shared a look, hardly believing what they were hearing nor who the real culprit of Thor’s famed wedding dress was. _“Mother!”_ Thor exclaimed.

Morgan laughed, “Best birthday ever!”

**Author's Note:**

> I loved the idea of Morgan showing up in Asgard wearing the costume Loki had made her, horns and all. It was just too cute of an opportunity to pass up.


End file.
